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stay
1[ stey ]
/ steɪ /
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verb (used without object), stayed or staid, stay·ing.
verb (used with object), stayed or staid, stay·ing.
noun
QUIZ
ALL IN FAVO(U)R OF THIS BRITISH VS. AMERICAN ENGLISH QUIZ
There's an ocean of difference between the way people speak English in the US vs. the UK. Are your language skills up to the task of telling the difference? Let's find out!
Question 1 of 7
True or false? British English and American English are only different when it comes to slang words.
Idioms about stay
stay the course, to persevere; endure to completion.
Origin of stay
1First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English staien, from Anglo-French estaier, Old French ester, from Latin stāre “to stand, stand up, be standing, stand in attendance”; see origin at stand
Words nearby stay
stave off, staves, stavesacre, Stavropol, staw, stay, stay-at-home, staybolt, staycation, stayer, staying power
Other definitions for stay (2 of 3)
stay2
[ stey ]
/ steɪ /
noun
verb (used with object), stayed, stay·ing.
Other definitions for stay (3 of 3)
stay3
[ stey ]
/ steɪ /
noun
any of various strong ropes or wires for steadying masts, funnels, etc.
verb (used with object), stayed, stay·ing.
to support or secure with a stay or stays: to stay a mast.
to put (a ship) on the other tack.
verb (used without object), stayed, stay·ing.
(of a ship) to change to the other tack.
Origin of stay
3First recorded before 1150; Middle English stai, stey(e), Old English stæg; cognate with German Stag, Dutch stag, Old Norse stag
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use stay in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for stay (1 of 3)
stay1
/ (steɪ) /
verb
noun
See also stay out
Word Origin for stay
C15 staien, from Anglo-French estaier, to stay, from Old French ester to stay, from Latin stāre to stand
British Dictionary definitions for stay (2 of 3)
stay2
/ (steɪ) /
noun
anything that supports or steadies, such as a prop or buttress
a thin strip of metal, plastic, bone, etc, used to stiffen corsets, etc
verb (tr) archaic
(often foll by up) to prop or hold
(often foll by up) to comfort or sustain
(foll by on or upon) to cause to rely or depend
See also stays (def. 1)
Word Origin for stay
C16: from Old French estaye, of Germanic origin; compare stay ³
British Dictionary definitions for stay (3 of 3)
stay3
/ (steɪ) /
noun
a rope, cable, or chain, usually one of a set, used for bracing uprights, such as masts, funnels, flagpoles, chimneys, etc; guySee also stays (def. 2), stays (def. 3)
Word Origin for stay
Old English stæg; related to Old Norse stag, Middle Low German stach, Norwegian stagle wooden post
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Other Idioms and Phrases with stay
stay
The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.